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Field experiments of nitrogen (N) treatment at five different application rates (0, 75, 150, 225, and 300 kg ha−1) were conducted under pot-seedling mechanical transplanting (PMT) in 2018 and 2019. Two high-quality and high-yielding hybrids of indica rice, Huiliangyou 898 and Y Liangyou 900, were used in this study. The N nutrition index (NNI) and accumulated N deficit (Nand), used to assess the N nutrition status in real-time, were calculated for the indica cultivars under PMT with a critical nitrogen concentration (Nc) dilution model based on shoot dry matter (DM) during the whole rice growth stage. The relationships between NNI and Nand with relative yield (RY) were determined, and accurate N application schemes were developed for hybrids indica rice under PMT. The results indicated that high application rate of N-fertilizer significantly increased the concentrations of shoot DM and N in aboveground organs during the observed stages in the two cultivars for two years (P

HCV-genotype-4 (HCV-GT4) is the cause of approximately 20% of the 170 million cases of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the world. Around 95% of patients with chronic HCV infection can be cure by utilizing direct-acting antiviral treatment. Two anti-HCV genotype 4 co-administered ravidasvir (RAV) and sofosbuvir (SOF) were simultaneously quantified in rat plasma by a validated and sensitive LC-MS/MS method using aciclovir as an internal standard. Chromatographic resolution for all analytes was performed with an Eclipse plus C18 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 µm) with isocratic mobile phase consisted of 10 mM ammonium formate : acetonitrile (61:39, v/v, pH 4.0) at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min. Sample pre-treatment involved protein precipitation in plasma and stable internal standard resulted in a sensitive and robust method. Positive multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was chosen to identify RAV, SOF, and IS. The developed assay was validated for accuracy, precision, linearity, selectivity, extraction recovery, matrix effect, carry-over, dilution integrity, and stability in accordance with US-FDA bioanalytical method validation guidelines. The method was linear over the ranges of 0.5–600 and 1–3000 ng/mL of RAV and SOF, respectively (r2 ≥ 0.997). After injection of the HLOQ sample, carry-over in the blank sample was less than 20% of the LLOQ of RAV, SOF and less than 5% of the IS. The mean relative standard deviation (RSD) of the results of accuracy and precision were ≤ 9.74%, and the overall recoveries of RAV and SOF from rat plasma were in the range 92.53–107.25%. The current methodology is the first LC-MS/MS for the quantification of RAV and SOF in rat plasma and to applied the pharmacokinetics of these agents in rats.

In this study, Inconel 625 powder was deposited on ASTM A592 steel substrate using laser cladding process. In order to optimize and predict the quality of the obtained coating, empirical-statistical method was used and the linear relationship between the coating geometries for each sample (angle, width, height, depth of penetration and dilution) and cladding parameters (power, powder feeding rate, and scanning rate) was obtained by the use of regression method. Using these relationships, a process map has been extracted to obtain the best quality for the cladding process. Hence, it is possible to obtain the optimal parameters of coating geometry and the main laser parameters for the deposition of Inconel 625 powder on the ASTM A592 steel substrate with minimum porosity and without crack.

Blood is a complex colloidal suspension which carries myriads of information about human health. Understanding the evaporation dynamics and its consequent deposition patterns have direct relevance in disease detection. We report evaporation dynamics of whole and diluted blood droplets over hydrophilic (glass) and hydrophobic (PDMS, polydimethylsiloxane) substrates. Our experiments show that blood drops evaporating on a hydrophilic substrate exhibit radial and orthoradial cracks in the coronal region and random cracks in the central region. Using Griffith’s energy criterion, we show that crack formation takes place when the capillary pressure and the resulting compressive stress inside the evaporating droplet exceeds critical stress which depends on the elastic modulus, interfacial energy, and the particle concentration of the system. The width of the coronal region ( w ), the film thickness ( h ) at the contact line, and the crack pitch ( p ) decrease with increasing blood dilution. In the dilution range of 2.0–0.8% HCT (hematocrit), the transition from the cracking to the non-cracking regime is observed, which can be attributed to inadequate compressive stress available even after the evaporation of the blood droplet is completed. For the hydrophobic substrate, buckling instead of cracking is observed for the whole blood droplets, which can be attributed to the distinct wetting and evaporation kinetics. The buckling of the blood drop on a hydrophobic surface is attributed to the competition between capillary pressure originated due to the formation of an elastic network of RBCs (red blood cells) and the menisci formed between adjacent RBCs, and the critical buckling pressure. With increasing blood dilution, a transition from buckling (between 21 and 42% HCT) to cracking (between 21 and 2.0% HCT) of the droplets, and eventually to the non-cracking regime (between 2.0 and 0.8% HCT) is observed. Our study unravels the interesting attributes about one of the important physico-chemical factors (i.e. % HCT) that affect the evaporation of blood droplets and the resulting deposition patterns on substrates with different hydrophobicity.

Non-thermal plasma-induced one-step desorption of splitting of CO2 has been investigated in this research for carbon capture and utilization. An experimental study was conducted in a plasma-sorbent system that consists of a coaxial DBD reactor packed with hydrotalcite pellets. Operation parameters including discharge power and carrier gas flow rate were varied to explore their effect on the desorption of CO2 from the sorbent and conversion to CO. Results showed that the discharge power plays the dominant role in the desorption process. Faster desorption was achieved with increasing power but at a cost of CO2 conversion. Although the carrier gas flow rate does not have a significant effect on the desorption, higher conversion was achieved with a higher flow rate due to the dilution effect. The maximum single pass conversion of CO2 achieved was 67.44%. Based on the feature of this technology, periodic operation of multiple reactors including reactors in parallel and in series are discussed for continuous CO2 capture and its full conversion.

The purpose of this investigation is to study the effect of 1) leachate recirculation (LR) and dilution (LD), 2) the increment of the waste ratio, and 3) co-digestion using poultry waste as co-substrate for enhancing the acidogenesis process of the organic municipal solid waste (OMSW), thereby increasing the medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) production. The results of the experiment carried in a batch pilot reactor show that LR increases hydrolysis as well as the OMSW conversion efficiency. Meanwhile, the highest total MCFA production of around 62,000 mg/L is shown for LR with a high OMSW ratio. Thus, a high concentration of hexanoic acid is shown in LR lysimeters (5475 mg/L, 6627 mg/L, and 10,889 mg/L respectively). However, a metabolic shift toward the production of heptanoic and octanoic acids is reported for LD samples. Nonetheless, the use of poultry waste as co-substrate in the co-digestion process multiplied the concentration of the produced MCFAs.

Ambient concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) vary with emission rates, meteorology, and chemistry. Conventional positive matrix factorization (PMF) loses information because of dilution variations and chemical losses. Multiply improved PMF incorporates the ventilation coefficient, and total solar radiation or oxidants to reduce the effects of dispersion and chemical loss. These methods were applied to hourly speciated VOC data from November 2019 to March 2020 including during the COVID-19 shutdown. Various comparisons were made to assess the influences of these fluctuation drivers by time of day. Dispersion normalized PMF (DN-PMF) reduced the dispersion variations. Dispersion-radiation normalized PMF (DRN-PMF) reduced the impact of chemical loss, especially at night, which was better than Dispersion-Ox normalized PMF (DON-PMF). The conditional bivariate probability function (CBPF) plots of DRN-PMF results were consist with actual source locations. The DN-PMF, DRN-PMF, and DON-PMF results were consistent between 10:00 and 15:00, suggesting dispersion was significantly more influential than photochemical reactions during these times. The DRN-PMF results indicated that the highest VOC contributors during the COVID-19 shutdown were liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (28.8%), natural gas (25.2%), and pulverized coal boilers emissions (19.6%). Except for petrochemical-related enterprises and LPG, the contribution concentrations of all other sources decreased substantially during the COVID-19 shutdown, by 94.7%, 90.6%, and 86.8% for vehicle emissions, gasoline evaporation, and the mixed source of diesel evaporation and solvent use, respectively. Controlling the use of motor vehicles and related volatilization of diesel fuel and gasoline can be effective in controlling VOCs in the future.

The quality of urban wastewater is variable with time and along the sewage network. In some cases when rain is not collected separately, wastewater dilution may occur during wet periods. All these variation factors have an impact on the wastewater composition and particularly on organic matter and particulate fraction. Considering that a lot of substances present in urban wastewater are absorbing in the UV-visible range, several methods can give useful information on the qualitative evolution of wastewater and on quantitative estimation of parameters, among which UV-visible spectrophotometry. The efficiency of treatment processes of organic and particulate pollution removal can also be monitored from the examination of UV-visible spectra. Finally, a classification of urban wastewater can be proposed from the examination of spectral shape.

The present paper describes the activity carried out at Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM) within the EMPIR Joint Research Project 16ENV06 “Metrology for Stable Isotope Reference Standards - SIRS”, for the realisation of a dilution device for generating dynamic mixtures of CO2 at ambient mole fractions. The aim of the activity was to realise a system able to generate mixtures with isotopic composition and target uncertainties as the static gravimetric reference materials realised in the SIRS project. These dynamic reference materials can be used to validate the static reference materials and for stability and fractionation studies. The dilution system was realised and a preliminary validation was carried out, focusing on the performances of the mixing chamber, which represents the core of the system. The system was tested in terms of amount fraction, by using a Non-Dispersive Infrared analyser.

Optimisation and validation of a novel isotope dilution gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method for determination of inorganic chloride (Cl⁻) in crude oils is presented. The use of stable isotope dilution calibration approach decreases losses and biases and it is considered a higher order measurement approach. Samples were diluted with a 1:1 blend of isopropyl alcohol : toluene with 5% water, mixed with ³⁷Cl⁻ internal standard, water extracted and derivatized with triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate at room temperature. This reagent converted Cl⁻ into stable ethyl chloride (EtCl) which was detected by headspace GC–MS. A limit of quantitation of 100 µg kg⁻¹ and limit of detection of 30 µg kg⁻¹ were observed in crude oil samples when initial dilution was not required. The performance of this novel method was compared with combustion ion chromatography, ion chromatography with conductivity detection after microwave-induced combustion, and ASTM D3230 method on a set of medium and heavy crude oil samples. Despite the challenges of the measurement, a reasonable level of agreement was observed among methods over the range of 0.38 ± 0.02 to 993 ± 103 mg kg⁻¹ of Cl⁻. Presented headspace GC–MS method proved to be suitable for analysis of all types of crude oils samples with an excellent reproducibility (RSD < 6%) and high sample throughput (7 min GC–MS run time).

Our systematic volumetric studies on the aqueous solutions containing ionic liquids and carbohydrates is followed in this research by consideration of the ternary (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate or 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate + sorbitol + water) mixtures. For this purpose, via the measured density data, apparent molar volumes, their values at infinite dilution and apparent molar expansibility for these ionic liquids (ILs) in aqueous sorbitol solutions have been calculated. By means of these information, as where as possible, solute =solvent and solute-solute interactions in these systems are discussed. Hydrophilic–hydrophobic hydrophobic–ionic and hydrophobic–hydrophobic interactions are governing in the considered ternary solutions. Both ionic liquids act as structure maker in these solutions.

Summary Biochemical systems in living cells have their optimum concentration ratio among each constituent element to maintain their functionality. However, in the case of the biochemical system with complex interactions and feedbacks among elements, their activity as a system greatly changes by the concentration shift of the entire system irrespective of the concentration ratio among elements. In this study, by using a transcription-translation (TX-TL) system as the subject, we illustrate the principle of the nonlinear relationship between the system concentration and the activity of the system. Our experiment and simulation showed that shifts of the system concentration of TX-TL by dilution and concentration works as a switch of activity and demonstrated its ability to induce a biochemical system to confer the permeability of small molecules to liposomes. These results contribute to the creation of artificial cells with the switch and provide an insight into the emergence of protocells., Graphical abstract, Highlights • Activity of TX-TL changes nonlinearly to the system concentration • By using the nonlinearity, switching of TX-TL in artificial cells was demonstrated • The switching system conferred molecule transfer ability to the artificial cells • The findings provide insight into protocell studies and molecular robotics, Biological sciences; Cell biology; Systems biology

The yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides NCYC 921 was used for lipid production, using Miscanthus biomass hydrolysate as carbon source. The hydrolysate was obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of Miscanthus biomass (at high solids loading) previously subjected to a hydrothermal pre-treatment. Afterwards R. toruloides was grown on Miscanthus sp. hydrolysate (MH), undiluted and diluted, at the ratios of 1:4 (20 % v/v), 1:2 (33.3 % v/v) and 3:1 (75 % v/v). The best yeast performance was observed for MH 1:2 medium dilution, reaching the maximal biomass concentration of 6.3 g/L, the lipid content of 30.67 % w/w dry cell weight and the lipid concentration of 1.64 g/L. Flow cytometry demonstrated that R. toruloides cell membrane was massively damaged when the yeast was grown on undiluted MH, due to the presence of phenolic compounds; however, when the yeast was grown on diluted MH 1:2 and 1:4, the proportion of intact cells has increased during the yeast cultivation.

In this study, high strength chromium (1500 ​ppm) wastewater was treated by electrochemical and chemical precipitation. Preliminary experiments using synthetic wastewater were carried out to optimize the process parameters viz. pH, current density and treatment time by systematically varying these variables as per response surface methodology (RSM) approach. The results showed that 97.5% chromium removal efficiency was achieved under optimized process conditions, i.e. pH 5, current density 68 A/m2 and treatment time 17 ​min. The electrolyte concentration beyond 4 ​g/L does not significantly improve chromium removal efficiency. The optimized process conditions from simulated solution were used to treat real chrome bathwater, but due to the highly acidic nature of the chrome bath, negligible chromium removal was obtained. Thus, two industrial wastewater management approaches were used to improve the chromium removal efficiency (i) dilution of the chrome bathwater (ii) chemical precipitation before electrocoagulation. Electrocoagulation treatment of five-fold diluted chrome bathwater has 99.9% chromium removal efficiency in 55 ​min of treatment time consuming specific energy consumption (SEC) of 10.3 ​KWh/kg of chromium. By integration of chemical precipitation and electrochemical treatment, the chromium removal efficiency of 97.3% was observed in 240 ​min of treatment time with SEC of 27.3 ​kWh/kg of chromium. Integration of reduction-precipitation before electrochemical treatment is another choice, in contrast, to sample dilution with an option for retrofitting of existing treatment schemes.

In the coastal saline soils, moisture and salinity are the functions of groundwater depth affecting crop growth and yield. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to: 1) investigate the combined effects of moisture and salinity stresses on wheat growth as affected by groundwater depth, and 2) find the optimal groundwater depth for wheat growth in coastal saline soils. The groundwater depths (0.7, 1.1, 1.5, 1.9, 2.3, and 2.7 m during 2013–2014 (Y1) and 0.6, 1.0, 1.4, 1.8, 2.2, and 2.6 m during 2014–2015 (Y2)) of the field experiment were maintained by soil columns. There was a positive correlation between soil moisture and salinity. Water logging with high salinity (groundwater depth at 0.7 m in Y1 and 0.6 m in Y2) showed a greater decline towards wheat growth than that of slight drought with medium (2.3 m in Y1) or low salinity (2.7 m in Y1, 2.2 and 2.6 m in Y2). The booting stage was the most sensitive stage of wheat crop under moisture and salinity stresses. Data showed the most optimal rate of photosynthesis, grain yield, and flour quality were obtained under the groundwater depth (ditch depth) of 1.9 m (standard soil moisture with medium salinity) and 2.3 m (slight drought with medium salinity) in Y1 and 1.8 m (standard soil moisture with medium salinity) and 2.2 m (slight drought with low salinity) in Y2. The corresponding optimal soil relative moisture content and conductivity with the 1:5 distilled water/soil dilution, in the depth of 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm in coastal saline soils, were equal to 58.67–63.07% and 65.51–72.66% in Y1, 63.09–66.70% and 69.75–74.72% in Y2; 0.86–1.01 dS m–1 and 0.63–0.77 dS m–1 in Y1, 0.57–0.93 dS m–1 and 0.40–0.63 dS m–1 in Y2, respectively.

Excessive use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agricultural systems increases the cost of production and risk of environmental pollution. Therefore, determination of optimum N requirements for plant growth is necessary. Previous studies mostly established critical N dilution curves based on aboveground dry matter (DM) or leaf dry matter (LDM) and stem dry matter (SDM), to diagnose the N nutrition status of the whole plant. As these methods are time consuming, we investigated the more rapidly determined leaf area index (LAI) method to establish the critical nitrogen (Nc) dilution curve, and the curve was used to diagnose plant N status for winter wheat in Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China. Field experiments were conducted using four N fertilization levels (0, 105, 210 and 315 kg ha−1) applied to six wheat cultivars in the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 growing seasons. LAI, DM, plant N concentration (PNC) and grain yield were determined. Data points from four cultivars were used for establishing the Nc curve and data points from the remaining two cultivars were used for validating the curve. The Nc dilution curve was validated for N-limiting and non-N-limiting growth conditions and there was good agreement between estimated and observed values. The N nutrition index (NNI) ranged from 0.41 to 1.25 and the accumulated plant N deficit (Nand) ranged from 60.38 to −17.92 kg ha−1 during the growing season. The relative grain yield was significantly affected by NNI and was adequately described with a parabolic function. The Nc curve based on LAI can be adopted as an alternative and more rapid approach to diagnose plant N status to support N fertilization decisions during the vegetative growth of winter wheat in Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China.

Graphical abstract, The use of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRBs) in laboratory studies is a common approach for investigating microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). The characteristic formation of black iron sulfide precipitates during SRB growth, however, preclude the use of traditional spectrophotometric approaches for capturing growth data instead necessitating labour-intensive or technically specialized approaches. As such, an understanding of SRB growth responses to experimental conditions is often missing from MIC studies. Bernardez and de Andrade Lima (2015) have outlined a spectrophotometric approach for estimating SRB cell mass via the addition of HCl. This method has potential for the study SRB growth however its applicability is currently limited by the use of large aliquot volumes (45 mL), which restrict the number of timepoints that can sampled from one culture, and the extensive time devoted to cell preparation prior to OD readings. • We demonstrate an improved method for capturing SRB growth data via spectrophotometry following acidification. We incorporate lower sample volumes and adapt the method described in Bernardez and de Andrade Lima (2015) to a high throughput microtiter plate approach that increases the efficiency of this method and its applicability to growth rate studies. • Our results allay theoretical concerns that acidification may distort growth rate analysis by impacting cells differently depending on their metabolic state. • We further demonstrate that this method (acid-amended OD measurements) is more accurate and far more cost efficient than traditional methods (dilution spread-plate counting) and popular molecular methods (quantitative PCR) currently in use in SRB growth research.

Summary We carried out photocatalytic treatment of a lignin-free solution of rice husk alkaline hydrolysate [pH of 2, chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 12.8 g/L] using photo-Fenton process in the ultraviolet (UV, wavelength of 365 nm) and visible spectrum. Oxidation of lignin was performed at a constant mass ratio of COD:H2O2 as 1:2 and Fe2+ concentration of 80 mg/L. It was established that for the destruction of alkaline lignin, exposure to visible or UV radiation was necessary. Decolorization efficiency of a lignin-free solution depends on the dilution rate of the solution. The advanced oxidative photo-Fenton process (UV/Н2О2/Fe2+) made it possible to reduce the color of lignin-free solution at a dilution ratio of 1:5 by 94% of decolorization efficiency, 87% of phenolic compound and 79% of COD. With the help of gas chromatography, the products of lignin destruction were low-toxic and usable.

Complex water effluents pose a toxicity risk to biological wastewater treatments and environmental discharge. Dynamic sampling and risk assessment of effluents would mitigate downstream hazards, but few methods are available to assess microorganism toxicity on the minute timescale. To rapidly evaluate unknown aqueous effluents, a segmented-flow microfluidic device is refined for real-time gross toxicity detection and quantification. A microfluidic chip integrating a magnetic stirrer for serial dilution is demonstrated to rapidly determine EC50 values of known and unknown toxicants, where 100 nL samples are suspended into a continuous oil phase with no interfering surfactants. A five logarithmic dilution sequence is evaluated in zinc > copper > nickel cations. Resazurin concentration of 10 μM is optimal for Enterococcus faecalis at 0.1 optical density. The adaptable method is transferable to other microorganisms, such as common baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where the resazurin reduction rate is 30% of Enterococcus faecalis (4 nM/s vs. 13 nM/s per 100 nL droplet). Zinc and nickel cations are observed to increase the base resazurin reduction rate of baker's yeast by 25%, whereas copper is found to be more cytotoxic than mercury cations. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) ASTAR (Agency for Sci., Tech. and Research, S’pore) Published version

The combustion chamber is the core component of an aero-engine, and affects its reliability and security operation, even the performance of the aircraft. In this work, a Plasma-Assisted Combustion (PAC) test platform was developed to validate the feasibility of using PAC actuators to enhance annular combustor performance. Two plans of PAC (rotating gliding arc discharge plasma) were designed, Assisted Combustion from Primary Holes (ACPH) and Assisted Combustion from Dilution Holes (ACDH). Comparative experiments and analysis between conventional combustion and PAC were conducted to study the effects of ACPH and ACDH on the performances including average outlet temperature, combustion efficiency, pattern factor under four different excessive air coefficients (0.8, 1, 2, and 4), and lean blowout performance at different inlet airflow velocities. Experimental results show that the combustion efficiency is improved after PAC compared with that in normal conditions, and the combustion efficiency of ACPH increases 2.45%, 1.49%, 1.04%, and 0.47%, while it increases 2.75%, 1.67%, 1.36%, and 0.36% under ACDH conditions. The uniformity of the outlet temperature field and the lean blowout performance are improved after PAC. Especially for ACPH, the widening of the lean blowout limit is 8.3%, 12.4%, 12.8%, and 25% respectively when the inlet velocity ranges from 60 m/s to 120 m/s. These results offer new perspectives for using PAC devices to enhance aero-engine combustors’ performances. Keywords: Aero-engine, Assisted combustion actuator, Combustion chambers, Plasma-Assisted Combustion, Rotating gliding arc discharge

In this study, the HYSPLIT model was used to model the dilution and dispersion of particulate matter in the surrounding of two abandoned mine sites (Klein Aub and Oamites) to the nearby communities. The simulations indicated a relationship between mass concentrations and meteorological parameters as well as their impacts on the dilution and dispersion of particulate matter. Dispersion simulations of the non-residential point indicated that the community of Klein Aub is mainly affected by tailings dust through the Easterly wind which transports tailings contaminated dust to the residential area during winter. Oamites dispersion simulations of the residential point located at 23°47′24.6 S; 016°38′46.2 E indicated that this point is not directly affected by the tailings dust. The results suggest that the influence of the wind direction and wind speed is more on the dispersion than dilution. The wind or lack of thereof can cause the particulate matter to move or accumulate around the pollution source. The dilution of particulate matter was mainly influence by the temperature, with generally low dilution observed in the cold winter months., HYSPLIT; Dispersion and Dilution; Particulate Matter; Oamites; Klein Aub

Combustion and flame 228, 401-414 (2021). doi:10.1016/j.combustflame.2021.02.009, Published by Elsevier Science, Amsterdam [u.a.]

Cobalt and nickel are micronutrients indispensable for the body, therefore, their use with food or as part of vitamin complexes is necessary to maintain health. As a result, trace cobalt and nickel contents are present in human biological fluids – blood and urine. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list, they belong to the group of blood doping preparations – erythropoiesis stimulants. Nowadays, methods for their control in biological fluids are being actively developed to establish reasonable allowable contents of these trace elements in human biological fluids. However, in addition to developing highly sensitive methods for the determination of the total content of cobalt and nickel using ICP-MS and ETAAS, the development and comparison of various sample preparation methods that can provide the greatest accuracy, reproducibility and express analysis are also relevant. In the present paper, a comparison of different sample preparation methods – direct analysis, dilution and microwave mineralization of urine samples was shown, the detection and quantification limits were compared, some metrological characteristics that can be achieved using these sample preparation methods were evaluated. The procedure was tested on artificial and real urine samples. Taking the course of vitamin complexes in therapeutic concentrations was shown not to lead to a significant increase in the concentrations of analytes in urine, while taking elevated concentrations (for example, 2-fold) makes it possible to determine them even using ICP-AES. However, even in this case, cobalt and nickel concentrations remain at a relatively low level, not able to lead to a significant increase in erythropoiesis., ICP-AES; Cobalt; Nickel; HIF; Doping.

This work presents a computer-aided framework for the screening of deep eutectic solvent (DES) systems by using the α-tocopherol extraction from methylated oil deodorizer distillates (MODD) as an example of practical relevance. Taking advantage of the differences in the hydrogen bond donating abilities of α-tocopherol and methyllinoleate (model compounds in MODD), the DES screening task is to select suitable components that can achieve the associative extraction of α-tocopherol by in situ DES formation at high selectivity against methyllinoleate. The COSMO-RS model is employed in the DES screening for two purposes: (1) The solid-liquid equilibria between α-tocopherol and each candidate component are calculated to check the potential for DES formation and identify the existence of a proper liquid window. (2) The infinite dilution capacity and selectivity of different components for the α-tocopherol/methyllinoleate extraction are predicted to estimate their potential for the separation task. The components preselected by COSMORS evaluation are further examined regarding other physical as well as environmental, health, and safety (EHS) properties.

The oxidation of 1-butene and i-butene with and without addition of 10 0 0 ppm NO was experimentally and numerically studied primarily at fuel-rich (phi = 2.0) conditions under high dilution (96% Ar) in a flow reactor operated at atmospheric pressure in the low temperature range of approximately 600-1200 K. Numerous intermediate species were detected and quantified using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet pho-toionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS). An elementary-step reaction mechanism consisting of 3996 reactions among 682 species, based on literature and this work, was established to describe the reactions and interaction kinetics of the butene isomers with oxygen and nitrogenous components. Model predic-tions were compared with the experimental results to gain insight into the low-and high-temperature fuel consumption without and with NO addition and thus the respective interaction chemistry. This in-vestigation firstly contributes a consistent set of temperature-dependent concentration profiles for these two butene isomers under conditions relevant for engine exhaust gases. Secondly, the observed oxidation kinetics is significantly altered with the addition of NO. Specifically, NO promotes fuel consumption and introduces for i-butene a low-temperature behavior featuring a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) region. The present model shows reasonable agreement with the experimental results for major products and intermediate species, and it is capable to explain the promoting effect of NO that is initiated by its contribution to the radical pool. Further, it can describe the observed NTC region for the i-butene/NO mixture as a result of the competition of chain propagation and chain terminating reactions that were identified by reaction flow and sensitivity analyses. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Combustion Institute.

Cementitious materials will be used during the construction and operation of a geological repository for spent nuclear fuel at Olkiluoto in Finland. Upon contacting water, cement dissolution will generate high-pH leachates, which might eventually reach the proximity of a canister deposition hole through an interconnected network of fractures in the crystalline host rock. Highly-alkaline conditions near the bentonite buffer surrounding the canister could affect the performance of the buffer safety functions. In this study, we evaluate the potential impact such cement leachates might have on the chemical composition of the buffer porewater over time-frames relevant for the safety assessment of the repository. Although a comprehensive mechanistic assessment of these interactions is not possible due to their complexity, we demonstrate that key processes and their impact on the chemical composition of the bentonite porewater can be bounded. To this end we apply a reactive transport modelling based on an analysis of processes and parameter values. The model considers a 3D geometry including: the canister, the bentonite buffer, and a discrete fracture in the rock intersecting the deposition hole. Cement leachates flow through the fracture around the deposition hole, while solutes exchange with the buffer porewater via advective and diffusive mass transfer. Modelling results indicate that a combination of restricted water flow within the fracture, slow diffusive solute transport in the buffer, and chemical reactions will act together to minimise the extent of buffer porewater perturbation, should cement leachates reach the vicinity of a deposition hole. The model pessimistically estimates a maximum pH variation to be below 0.1 unit, and a maximum concentration change of about factor 3 (relative to initial) for reacting components within most of the buffer volume. This is only about double the perturbation values predicted for “natural” evolution of the buffer porewater, in the absence of cement leachates. Model uncertainties are evaluated by a series of sensitivity cases. These calculations suggest that additional processes, not directly accounted for in the base model (such as leachate-groundwater mixing and dilution on transport through the fracture network, and porosity reduction in the buffer due to mineral precipitation), could significantly contribute to a further reduction of the magnitude of potential buffer porewater perturbation.

Sperm motility performance is strongly linked to the reproductive success of a fish. Since fish’s sperm cells are extruded in the aquatic medium where fish live and reproduce, these tiny cells have to counter all the problems of environmental contamination or pesticide pollution. To overview the perspective, an experiment was accomplished to elucidate the effects of different sub-lethal concentrations [0.00ppm, 0% of median lethal concentration (LC50); 0.47ppm, 10% of LC50; and 0.94ppm, 20% of LC50] of quinalphos 25EC (QP) on sperm motility parameters such as - motility (MOT %), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL), and linearity (LIN %) and morphological changes of silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus) sperm. After partial dilution in the extender (Alsever’s solution), the fish sperm were exposed to QP for 2 (hour, h) or make the final dilution step during video recording on the microscope stage. The results of the study showed that compared with fresh sperm, incubating for 2 ​h at 4 ​°C reduced sperm motility. Incubation with QP for 2 ​h had a significant (P ​

Robust and sensitive methods for monitoring inorganic and organic As species As(III), As(V), dimethylarsinate (DMA), and monomethylarsonate (MMA) in environmental water are necessary to understand the toxicity and redox processes of As in a specific environment. The method is sufficiently sensitive and selective to ensure accurate and precise quantitation of As(III), As(V), DMA, and MMA in surface water and groundwater samples with As species concentrations from tens of nanograms per liter to 50 µg/L without dilution of the sample. Mean recoveries of the four species spiked into reagent water, surface water and groundwater and measured periodically over three months ranged from 87.2 % to 108.7 % and relative standard deviation of replicates of all analytes ranged from 1.1 % to 9.0 %.•A PRP-X100 column and nitrate/phosphate mobile phase was used to separate As(III), As(V), DMA, and MMA in 0.45 µm filtered surface water and groundwater matrices.•Oxygen was used in the collision cell of the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer with MS/MS mode to shift the measured As mass from 75 to 91.•The analytical performance of the method and figures of merit including detection limits, precision, accuracy, and interferences when applied to surface water and groundwater matrices were investigated., Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract